Managing the Cost of Your Education

Investing in your education is a big decision, but it doesn’t need to leave you in a financial crisis. We’ve compiled useful resources and advice on how to manage the funding of your education beyond just financial aid and scholarships.

Ways to Reduce the Cost and Complete Your Degree

Your past college coursework is a gold mine. If you completed courses at another university or finished your associate’s degree at a community college, you are well on your way to completing a bachelor’s degree at Marylhurst.

Transferring credits is one of the top ways Marylhurst’s undergraduate students are able to complete their degrees in a timely, financially sound manner. If those credits are transferred in, then those are credits you don’t have to take at Marylhurst … meaning a savings in your tuition.

Reduce your tuition and complete a bachelor’s degree faster by earning credit for what you already know from life and work experiences. The knowledge you’ve gained from a variety of areas such as corporate and on-the-job training, military training, community service, parenting, volunteer work, seminars, home management, workshops, travel study and independent research can be evaluated for credit toward your bachelor’s degree through the Prior Learning Assessment and Credit by Exam programs. Choose to complete a test or participate in an online course that helps you write portfolios that reflect the knowledge and expertise you have learned outside the classroom. Your test scores or completed portfolios will be assessed and awarded college credits, saving you time and money.

Degree Pathways

Understanding the pathway toward your degree can open options – like taking lower-division courses at a community college. Marylhurst is a degree completion university, and that means most of our students transfer in credits from elsewhere.

Financial Management and Resources at Marylhurst

One of the best options for funding your education is, of course, financial aid and scholarships. We encourage all of our potential students and current students to apply for financial aid, and we automatically review students for potential scholarships.

SALT is a FREE financial management resource for our current students and alumni. Once you sign up, you can get one-on-one loan counseling, access to free financial calculators and tools, tons of financial education, scholarship research assistance, and personalized dashboards to track your loans and compare payment options.

Top Five Things to Consider When Funding Your Education

Beyond financial aid and acquiring more loans, there are ways to be truly smart with how you invest in your education. Here’s our best advice to anyone pursuing a college education.

A clear pathway to a degree. We can’t stress this enough, and made it a priority at Marylhurst. We want to ensure that you are taking the classes you need for your degree. We also want to make sure you are on track to complete your degree in a timely manner. Through advising, we want to set up a degree plan that best meets your goals and keeps you financially sound.

Utilize outside financial resources. Ask if your employer does tuition reimbursement or offers compensation toward your education. It doesn’t hurt to research and apply for outside scholarships (beyond Marylhurst). You will be surprised at what’s available and who is eligible (did you know there’s even a scholarship for bagpipers?). You can do scholarship research on your own or utilize our SALT program (a free service to students and alumni).

Know when to ask for help. Don’t wait until you are 90-days past due on your tuition bill to contact Marylhurst, reach out at the first sign of trouble. We have a pretty incredible team in our Student Accounts office and can give you some options to make sure you continue as a successful student with us.

Review your personal finances. Pursuing an education is an investment. Understand your financial commitments outside of school so you have a clear understanding of how adding a tuition bill will impact you and your family. Maybe starting school and buying a boat may not be wise at the same time.

Look for free or reduced-priced resources – like textbooks. This is where being part of the Marylhurst community becomes a bonus. Our students, faculty and staff constantly look for opportunities to help each other, and that includes looking for deals when it comes to school materials (like textbooks). Join our social networks to be part of the community.